Cliqbook Self-Booking Tool Slips In The Web Fare Door

Although its CEO has proclaimed that "Web fares is only 10 percent of what we do," Alexandria, Va.-based Outtask is signing clients based on the perception that its still-evolving Cliqbook is the only corporate self-booking tool in the marketplace that can access and track Web fares.

Outtask's Web fares solution, provided by New York-based FareChase, can be described as a band-aid rather than a long-term solution for Web fares. However, Sabre leads a list of other tech vendors that are testing the same patch. Outtask's early adopters called Web fares Cliqbook's major advantage, leaving unanswered the question of whether Outtask can establish widescale customer acquisition and adoption before its first-mover advantage is no more.

"Our customers are buying us because they are dissatisfied with other tools," said CEO Tom DePasquale, calling market leader and Southlake, Texas-based Sabre subsidiary GetThere "BeenThere." Noting that Outtask "has gotten a lot of visibility because of the current panic over Web fares," a GetThere spokesperson said, "We've got a solution on the way, but it's a small part of what makes a good booking product. Their real functionality is untested."

DePasquale last week acknowledged Cliqbook is not yet proven, noting the core functionality would not be complete until July. "There are probably 90 things we don't have yet," he said.

Nevertheless, Outtask's progress has some agencies, consultants and other tech vendors, including Apollo Travel, Cardinal Communications, StarCite (see story, page 21), TQ3 Maritz Travel Solutions, The Corporate Solutions Group and Travel Tech Consulting, giving the thumbs up to what they see so far. Four of the 52 companies DePasquale said are committed to implementing Cliqbook last week raved about its Web fares capability, and to a lesser degree Outtask's responsiveness and aggressive pricing.

DePasquale said implementation ranges from $2,500 to $10,000, depending on the number of travelers and profiles. Outtask charges a maximum of $5 per transaction, with lesser amounts for itineraries that do not include certain components. A hotel-only booking, for example, is $2. Outtask does not charge a maintenance fee.

"The real cost shows up when a product doesn't work properly," commented a GetThere spokesperson.

"Over a 12-month due diligence period, we looked at everybody from GetThere and Highwire to I:FAO," said Dan Mason, travel manager at BEA Systems in San Jose, whose U.S.-booked air volume exceeds $10 million. "The problem I faced was Internet fares. Cliqbook scrapes the Web. Other than the Web scraping and customer service levels, at the end of the day, most of these products are essentially the same."

Mason said his company by June will expand Cliqbook to about 1,200 travelers, up from his current pilot with 60.

Travel buyer Christine Bollman of American Power Conversion in W. Kingston, R.I., will roll out Cliqbook to a pilot group when the product is running on Sabre, which she expects "any day."

"We're not in a huge rush because we're now using Sabre BTS," said Bollman. "But accessing Web fares and being able to report on that in one tool is the key to future technology."

DePasquale on Wednesday said the Sabre version was complete and is going live with customers; Cliqbook for Worldspan will be available by the end of this quarter. The system already works on Galileo's Apollo, and DePasquale targeted the fourth quarter for Amadeus connectivity and a European offering.

"For the first time ever, we can finally manage the Internet," said Cliqbook client Cheryl Geib, national travel and meeting manager with Grant Thornton in Chicago. "I'm tired of trying to beat it."

Chicago-based Divine Inc., a $9 million air volume account that owns more than 30 percent of Outtask, rolled out Cliqbook March 4 and last week reported 60 percent usage. "Web fares are the main advantage," said global travel director Penny Loupakos. "Among all the products out there, Cliqbook was for us because it was designed for us. We are invested in Outtask, but that would not be the reason we buy a product from it."

Asked for user results, DePasquale said half of Divine's 1,645 tickets issued in the past 90 days went through Cliqbook, producing an average cost savings of $150.16, or 25 percent. "That's not from Web fares, it's just from having an effective online booking system," said DePasquale. "That equates to a savings of $123,000. They paid us $5,000. That's a good return on investment."

Outtask started signing customers to Cliqbook in late January. The company has nearly 100 employees, including 10 field sales personnel and 15 telephone sales reps. Outtask was founded in August 1999 to provide a number of different business software services. The company also offers expense management through the eight-year-old Vinnet system, as well as sales, human resources and financial services. Outtask began developing Cliqbook in July to boost the value of Vinnet, which it said has 150 clients.